Read Romans 8:23
Right now, as believers, we already have the firstfruits of the Spirit. God has given us repentance, faith, hope, and love—precious gifts that show His Spirit is at work in us. These graces are like the first ripe crops of the harvest, a sign that more is coming.
In the Old Testament, when the Israelites offered the first sheaf of grain, it was both a thanksgiving and a promise of the full harvest to come. In the same way, the work of the Spirit in us today is a pledge of the greater glory we will one day experience with Christ. What we have now is real and holy, but it is only the beginning. The fullness—the perfection—is still ahead.
This means we should not become proud of what God has already done in us, but instead long for more. If repentance, faith, hope, and love are this wonderful now, imagine the complete harvest in eternity! So let us keep hungering and thirsting for righteousness, trusting that God is able to give us more grace than we can even imagine.
Prayer
Father, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit and the firstfruits of new life within me. Thank You for repentance, faith, hope, and love that remind me of Your work in my heart. But Lord, I know this is just the beginning—please grow me deeper in Your grace. Stir in me a holy hunger for more of You, and prepare me for the day when I will see the fullness of Your glory.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Bp. Paul Solomon Maglaya
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